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T.I. "I'm Serious" Review |
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Georgia native, T.I. (TIP) has been
recently making a surge with his hit "I'm Serious", which features Beenie Man.
The Neptunes laced track has had the club jumping for the past couple of months. With his
solo finally about to drop on Arista Records, this album should be his gateway into the
mainstream arena.
The album begins with an Intro, which consists of a real tweeked guitar as T.I. speaks a
bit about his album. This beat is so hot that it's a shame that he didn't rhyme over it.
"Still Ain't Forgave Myself" starts off with a couple of hits by piano keys,
which then leads into nice bassline. The song has TI glancing at his life at retrospect
from birth to present. This song actually is one of my favorite tracks on the album.
"Dope Boys" is an up-tempo track with a bumpin' bassline about selling drugs.
That's pretty much all there is to this, however despite played subject matter, the song
still bangs and is worth the listen. Thinking about this, it sounds like hype anthem that
would rival the likes of "Ante Up" by MOP. "What Happened" features TI
showing a wide array of flow as he sounds similar to Juvenile in my opinion. The uptempo
beat is really catchy and I'm feeling the chanting chorus. "You Ain't Hard"
features a sample by The Commodores from "It's Your Thang..." and adds another
guitar to give it more of a rough edge. This song is another one of my favorites from the
CD..damn, I'm loving these gritty guitar lines.
"Why I'm Serious Interlude" has him talking over the same beat as the Intro.
Basically, it's getting everyone hype for his first single, "I'm Serious, which is up
next. The track features production by the Neptunes as well as the reggae vocals of Beenie
Man. I don't care for the beat really because it sounds just like every other Neptune's
track, however TI and Beenie both overshadow the horrific beat to the point that it
doesn't matter what's playing in the background over their vocals. "Do It" has
sort of a happy-dramatic feel to it..similar to video game music. TI comes solid and
really knows how to work this female orientated track. The beat keeps changing up leaving
the listener on edge to find out what's up next.
"What's Yo Name?" is another beat by the Neptunes, but surprisingly has a
fresher sound and is something I can vibe to. Despite being young, TI displays his veteran
rhyming skills as the Neptunes sing the chorus line. I'd go as far as this is the best
track I've ever heard produced by the Neptunes EVER. "Hands Up" has a dope
Spanish feel to it. This should be another track that gets the crowd hype in the club.
This is another track that is getting a lot of rotation in my CD player. "Chooz
U" features a pimp storytelling-type beat as TI sprinkles unexpected wordplay that
gets your attention at first glance. Damn, he just keeps pumping out quality track after
track on the album.
"I Can't Be Your Man" is another female orientated track with an interesting
beat. The vibe is somewhat serious, however inserts his personality cleverly through it as
he speaks on reasons why he can't be another woman's man. "Hotel" features the
legendary Oakland, now based in Atlanta, artist Too Short. For the most part, I feel
anything that Too Short touches is automatically solid. TI displays storytelling ability
as Too Short exhibits his typical lyrical weaponry.
"Heavy Chevys" is a riding track that you can roll around in your car with all
day long pumping it through your subs. The song is about cars, not much more to be said on
this, however still solid. "Grand Royal" starts off with Rockwilder sounding
production, but then leads into a smoother feel similar to Jazze Pha. The chorus is really
catchy and should become a favorite of yours. The Outro to the album has the same beat as
the other two interludes as TI shouts out people that helped him get to the position he's
at now. The Bonus track is the "I'm Serious Remix" featuring Pastor Troy. I've
seen this track on a few mixtapes already, so it's most likely going to gain a following
as well. The song, is one of the crunkest songs I've heard this year that just makes you
want to throw your bows. This is definately another favorite of mine.
Overall, this album is all I expected plus more. I don't seen how anyone couldn't like it
because it's comprised of so much diversity. So when you see this album on store shelves,
be sure to grab it, you won't be dissappointed. |
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